Microsoft is to introduce support for host card emulation (HCE) payments in the mobile version of its Windows 10 operating system. SIM-based secure elements will continue to be supported with “improved payment integration flows” enabling… More

Windows 10 users will be able to use biometric technology to secure access to their devices, Microsoft has announced. Windows Hello will support face, iris and fingerprint verification and will ship with the new edition… More

Windows 10 will support the next version of the Fast Identification Online (Fido) Alliance technical specifications, Microsoft has announced, allowing users to unlock their devices using biometric authentication instead of passwords. “Transitioning away from passwords and to a stronger form of identity is one of the great challenges that we face in online computing, and we believe Fido authentication is the pathway to success,” says Microsoft’s Dustin Ingalls.

NXP Semiconductors has filed a patent infringement suit against rival chip maker Marvell, claiming that the NFC chips supplied by Marvell to Microsoft for use in the Xbox One video gaming console infringe four of… More

Google is responding to the successful launch of Apple Pay by going on the mobile payments acquisition trail, according to industry rumours — and US carrier-owned NFC venture Softcard, which laid off 60 staff last week,… More

Starbucks is to begin accepting payments from customers wearing the new Microsoft Band smart bracelet. To use the service, customers link their Starbucks Card to their Band and can then present a barcode displayed on the… More

Microsoft has published a guide to developing UICC-based card emulation apps for WP8.1 devices. “In Windows Phone 8.1, it’s faster and easier than ever to create a card-emulation app; you just use the Windows Phone SDK and a regular developer account,” Microsoft says. “You don’t need special privileges to give your app the basic emulation functionality” but “you do have to partner with a mobile operator to launch your app”.

Starting with the next Xbox One update, expected to arrive in August 2014, “you will be able to buy games and add-on content from your mobile device,” The Next Web reports. “The best part: if your console is set to automatically take updates, it will begin downloading your purchase even if you are not home.”

Microsoft is to add “Kinect-like features” to Windows Phone devices later this year, “sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans” have told The Verge. “At least one device, codenamed McLaren, will debut on a range of US carriers later this year with features that let you hover your finger over the screen to interact with games and applications without ever touching the display.”

Customers of Finnish hamburger chain Hesburger can today pay for food, connect their loyalty card and redeem offers using Swedish mobile wallet app SEQR. Developed by Seamless, the app is also now available in Finland for Windows Phone 8, as well as existing iPhone and Android platforms. The app is being launched in 120 restaurants and rolled out to the remaining 160 franchise outlets by the end of the year.

NXP has teamed up with Microsoft, Lenovo and Identive to run an NFC Windows Application Contest. Cash prizes totalling US$22,500 are on offer, plus NFC development kits and US$100 Amazon vouchers. The free-to-enter competition is a “unique opportunity to learn about NFC on Windows 8 and 8.1, propose application ideas and receive everything needed to prototype it,” says NXP.

Windows Phone 8.1 will increase the level of control users have over NFC payment cards provisioned to their NFC SIM when it ships in mid-2014, according to a series of leaked screenshots, as well as… More

“HCE is a game-changing technology for NFC,” says technology provider Aditium’s Ibai Iturricha. “With HCE we have the chance to develop the whole solution without having to rely on any other party… With the entry of HCE we are free.” More

Microsoft’s new Xbox One entertainment system includes support for NFC functionality, via a Marvell Avastar 88W8897 combo chip that also incorporates Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi, an iFixit teardown of the new console has revealed. Microsoft has not made any announcements regarding the Xbox One’s NFC capabilities and it is not yet clear how or if the computing giant plans to use the technology.

Dublin Business School (DBS) has installed a triple-screen kiosk with NFC to allow students to access timetable information with their contactless ID cards. The ‘Tri Screen Poser Table’ kiosk houses three Microsoft Surface Pro tablet… More